New Boat

[MarkBC]

Something new -- to enhance my fun:
(the boat, not the car underneath it)



When I got my first kayak, the inflatable, I already considered that if I like the sport I might get a hardshell kayak, too. Well, on my trip last fall I learned that I do like it.

So this week I got this new boat: Eddyline Sandpiper 130.


I also learned that the plastic strips on the roof of my car aren't just decorative ...they conceal spots for anchoring an aftermarket roof rack. So I can carry the new boat, not just the inflatable, in my cheap-to-own car (at least for local day trips).

I brought it home this morning.


It was nice that I was able to buy it from, give my business to, a local, independent kayak & canoe shop. I wasn't even tempted to buy from a megamart since Eddyline (apparently) controls the price at which dealers sell their boats.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Congratulations!

"Is it so nice as all that?" asked the mole, shyly...

"Nice? It's the only thing," said the Water Rat Solemnly, as he leaned forward for his stroke. "Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."

 

[MarkBC]

Congratulations!

"Is it so nice as all that?" asked the mole, shyly.....

A friend of mine says: "It's always good on the water" -- this is a guy who used to live on his sailboat.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Nice looking kayak Mark.
How will you carry it on your "new" delivery?
Frank

 

[MarkBC]

...How will you carry it on your "new" delivery?

I'll have similar racks on the top of my pickup canopy.

 

[ski3pin]

It is so clean and shiny and has fun written all over it. Congrats!

 

[MarkBC]

Thanks, guys. I plan to put it on the water for its maiden voyage this week, when it warms up a bit in a couple/few days.

 

[LuckyDan]

Good choice, enjoy yourself.

 

[teledork]

Congratulations!

"Is it so nice as all that?" asked the mole, shyly...

"Nice? It's the only thing," said the Water Rat Solemnly, as he leaned forward for his stroke. "Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."

Ha! I've had this same line going through my head since my new boat is due to arrive today!

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Ha! I've had this same line going through my head since my new boat is due to arrive today!

What are you getting?

 

[teledork]

What are you getting?

https://www.seaeagle.com/FishingKayaks/350fx

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Looks like a nice capable, comfortable boat. I like that higher seat.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Looks nice.Hope you get a lot of enjoyment out of it.
Frank

 

[teledork]

Looks like a nice capable, comfortable boat. I like that higher seat.

I got the seat that is IN the boat.

I inflated the boat yesterday. I had no trouble hefting my Advanced Elements on my shoulder and walking a good distance but this one is a foot longer and 10 pounds heavier. And I am not getting younger. I ordered a kayak cart.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

I saw the weight of your boar and thought that's about 10# heavier then my 2
person Advanced Elements kayak.
Frank

 

[teledork]

I saw the weight of your boar and thought that's about 10# heavier then my 2
person Advanced Elements kayak.
Frank

My solo AE weighs 36. I remember carrying a Hyside Paddilac - a 40 lb whitewater kayak - on some long portages - 15 years ago. I also walk a lot slower now.

 

[MarkBC]

Maiden voyage in my "new boat"!

On Prineville Reservoir, ENE of Bend, near Bowman Dam

Lots of cool columnar basalt all through this area.

Bowman Dam, which forms the Prineville Reservoir out of the Crooked River

Man, if this baby busted I'd be in for a wild ride... and in a totally inappropriate type of boat!

 

[ntsqd]

Looking good!

Last time I was at Prineville Res I was a freshman in HS. I won't mention how long ago that was. Sure wish that date had gone better....

Somehow I don't see either of you running the Walker River on the stretch next to 395 in those.

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

Man, if this baby busted I'd be in for a wild ride... and in a totally inappropriate type of boat!

My forays onto Prineville Res have always included wind driven waves; wished I’d had a sail!

 

[MarkBC]

My second outing in my new boat, this time to a more classically-scenic locale than the first: Sparks Lake in the central Oregon Cascades, about 30 miles from my house.
My paddling partners were a couple of fellow WTWers -- Bend, Oregon Chapter. We were paddling 3 different models of Eddyline kayaks.

fone fotos:




Downhill and XC ski mountain, "Mt Bachelor", in the background.




"South Sister" and "Broken Top" mountains visible to the north.

It was beautiful...but good thing we got there by 10am -- we got the last 2 official parking spots in the lot. When I got off the water a couple of hours later many cars were parked alongside the narrow potholed rutted dirt road. And it's a weekday!

When I moved to Bend in 1978 the city's official population was about 15,000. Recently it was estimated to be almost 100,000. So, nice places get crowded. They can't update the city-limit population signs fast enough to keep up.